University Support & Information
Here you can find all the information about what universities offer Medicine, funding opportunities and admissions tests.
Applying to Medicine at UK Universities
There are 3 main routes to studying Medicine at university that we will cover in this guide:
1. Undergraduate Medicine
2. Undergraduate Medicine with a Foundation/Gateway Year
3. Postgraduate Medicine
However, there is also the option to study Medicine abroad and some universities offer the opportunity to transfer (but please note this is only possible at certain universities and has very specific criteria).
A breakdown of every UK university and their grade requirements
A breakdown of UK universities offering foundation/gateway years
A breakdown of UK universities offering postgraduate medicine
Interested in studying medicine in Europe or beyond? Check out TheMedicPortal's guide.
A helpful guide from TheMedicPortal on transfer schemes.
Funding
Many students may be entitled to funding which may not require repayment. Each university lines out the requirements required to be eligible for any scholarships/grants and this will vary from university to university. Most of these scholarships/grants are subject to being awarded once the course begins.
GOV.UK also offers grants/funding which does not need to be paid back depending on certain requirements. This is paid on top of your student finance
It is worth taking a moment to read up on whether you are eligible for funding/grants from either universities/external organisations.
More information can be found on specific university websites for their grants.
A blog explaining scholarships for potential medical schools can be found here.
Admissions Tests
UCAT
The University Clinical Aptitude test (UCAT) is a computer based admissions test prospective medical and dental students take as part of their application process when applying to medical and dental school. The admissions test must be taken before application deadline and is used by Universities as part of admissions criteria to select students to progress further into the selections process.
The UCAT is divided into 5 sections:
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Verbal reasoning
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Decision making
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Quantitative reasoning
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Abstract Reasoning
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Situational Judgement
The first 4 sections are ranked with a score between 600 – 900.
The last section is ranked with bands 1 – 4. Band 1 is the highest rank and 4 the lowest
More information can be here.
Each university varies in how they apply UCAT scores in the selection process. While some universities use UCAT with a cut off point in selection for interview, some universities may also use UCAT scores in deciding offers after interviews as well. Not every university provides a cut-off, its best to search the university's website.
BMAT
You may have heard of the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) as some universities used to use this. However, BMAT will no longer be used in the UK from 2025 entry, with almost all universities transitioning to using the UCAT.
GAMSAT
Applying for Graduate Entry Medicine? The GAMSAT is the admissions test you'll have to undertake.
GAMSAT is an admissions test which can be sat by students who have completed a Bachelors or Undergraduate degree. This admissions test is required for Graduate Medical courses at certain universities.
According to the GAMSAT website, Medical schools that require the GAMSAT for graduate medicine are:
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Brunel University of London – for graduate students applying to undergraduate Medicine
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University of Chester
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University of Exeter - for graduate students applying to undergraduate Medicine
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Imperial College London – graduate course currently unavailable
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University of Keele – for undergraduate course if A – level or Science GCSE requirements not met
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University of Liverpool
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University of Nottingham
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University of Plymouth – for undergraduate degree
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University of St Andrews
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St George’s University of London
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University of Sunderland
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University of Surrey
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University of Swansea
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Ulster University
Universities that will accept students with no degree qualifications:
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University of Plymouth
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University of Exeter – must be 2 full academic years from the time that they completed their Level 3 (A-Level) studies
The test is divided into 2 sections: Humanities and Biological Sciences.